Evaluation Of The Febrile Child

Parents have to prepare to encounter children with febrile illnesses. Most fever in children results from underlying infection. The upper limit of normal body temperature in children is 37.9° C (100.2° F); a rectal temperature greater than 38.0° C (100.4° F) represents fever. Very young infants, unlike older children, are often unable to mount a febrile response to infection and may instead become hypothermic. Viral infections cause most febrile illnesses in children. However, serious bacterial infections (SBIs) affect a small proportion of children. By definition, SBIs include meningitis, pneumonia, bone and joint infection, urinary tract infection, bacterial gastroenteritis, and sepsis and occult bacteremia

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